Data collection system, data collection method, non-transitory computer readable medium, and edge-functionalized device

ABSTRACT

A data collection system includes a first device that includes a generation unit configured to generate installation data including an edge-server function program for collecting data items generated by a device group including plural devices and a transmission unit configured to transmit the installation data generated by the generation unit to outside and a second device that includes an installation unit configured to install the edge-server function program by using the installation data transmitted from the first device. The second device selects one or more registration candidate devices by comparing first information that is further included in the installation data and second information that is acquirable separately from the installation data and attempts to register the one or more registration candidate devices as data collection targets when installation of the edge-server function program is completed by the installation unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2019-055682 filed Mar. 22, 2019.

BACKGROUND (i) Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a data collection system, a datacollection method, a non-transitory computer readable medium, and anedge-functionalized device.

(ii) Related Art

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-164679discloses a so-called remote installation system that remotely installssoftware onto an installation target device in accordance with a requestfrom a customer and that causes the device to operate as a web server.

For example, it is assumed that an edge server function is added to anexisting device by performing remote installation of a program forimplementing as “edge-server function program”). After completion of theinstallation, an operation of registering devices from each of whichdata is to be collected is performed, so that the existing device maybegin operation as an edge server.

However, when trying to separately perform the remote installationoperation and the device registration operation, since these operationsare performed in different work areas, there may be a situation in whichthese operations are not performed in proper conjunction with eachother. In some cases, the device registration operation is delayed, andas a result, it takes time to start the operation of the edge server.

SUMMARY

Aspects of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure relate tomore smoothly performing, when an edge server function is installed, aseries of installation operations to be performed so as to start theoperation of an edge server than in the case where a remote installationoperation and a device registration operation are separately performed.

Aspects of certain non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosureovercome the above disadvantages and/or other disadvantages notdescribed above. However, aspects of the non-limiting embodiments arenot required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and aspectsof the non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure may notovercome any of the disadvantages described above.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided adata collection system including a first device that includes ageneration unit configured to generate installation data including anedge-server function program for collecting data items generated by adevice group including a plurality of devices and a transmission unitconfigured to transmit the installation data generated by the generationunit to outside and a second device that includes an installation unitconfigured to install the edge-server function program by using theinstallation data transmitted from the first device. The second deviceselects one or more registration candidate devices by comparing firstinformation that is further included in the installation data and secondinformation that is acquirable separately from the installation data andattempts to register the one or more registration candidate devices asdata collection targets when installation of the edge-server functionprogram is completed by the installation unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described indetail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a datacollection system according to the exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration in aninstallation area illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an electrical block diagram of an image forming apparatusillustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an electrical block diagram of an installation serverillustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a first flowchart illustrating the operation of the datacollection system;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen ofremote installation;

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a controller at a firstpoint-in-time;

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of another controller at a secondpoint-in-time;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are respectively a diagram illustrating an example of adata structure included in logic information and a diagram illustratingan example of a data structure included in protocol information;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structureincluded in lease information;

FIG. 11 is a second flowchart illustrating the operation of the datacollection system;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structureincluded in a registered device list; and

FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of another controller at a thirdpoint-in-time.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A data collection system according to the present disclosure will bedescribed using an exemplary embodiment with respect to itsrelationships between a data collection method, a data collectionprogram, and an edge-functionalized device and with reference to theaccompanying drawings. Note that, it is obvious that the presentdisclosure is not limited to the following exemplary embodiment and thatchanges may be freely made within the gist of the present disclosure.Alternatively, configurations may be arbitrarily combined with eachother as long as there is no technical contradiction.

[Configuration of Data Collection System 10] <Overall Configuration>

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a datacollection system 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The data collection system 10 is a system configured to becapable of providing, in a composite manner, an “image formationservice” for providing a user with an image-formed product in aninstallation area Ar and a “data collection service” for collecting andanalyzing data items that are successively generated in the installationarea Ar.

More specifically, the data collection system 10 includes a centralserver 11, an installation server 12 (corresponding to a “firstdevice”), an image forming apparatus 14 that serves as an edge server(corresponding to a “third device”), and a device group 16 that includesa plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) devices 18. The image formingapparatus 14 and the device group 16 are arranged in the installationarea Ar such as an office. The image forming apparatus 14 is configuredto be capable of bidirectionally communicating with the central server11 or the installation server 12 via a network 22. Note that, althoughonly the single image forming apparatus 14 is illustrated in FIG. 1, aplurality of image forming apparatuses 14 may be arranged in the singleinstallation area Ar. In addition, although only the single installationarea Ar is illustrated in FIG. 1, there may be another installation areadifferent from the installation area Ar.

The central server 11 includes one or more server computers on a cloud24. The central server 11 collects data items from the image formingapparatus 14, which serves as an edge server, and performs variousprocessing operations for using these data items. Note that the centralserver 11 may be a cloud-type server (a so-called cloud server) or maybe an on-premises server.

The installation server 12 includes one or more server computers on thecloud 24. The installation server 12 performs various processingoperations for remotely installing various software for performing thedata collection service. Note that the installation server 12 may be acloud server or may be an on-premises server. In addition, in the caseillustrated in FIG. 1, although the installation server 12 is a devicethat is different from the central server 11, the installation server 12may be the same device as the central server 11.

The image forming apparatus 14 is a digital multifunction machine (aso-called multifunction printer (MFP)) that executes at least one of aprinter function, a copy function, a scan function, a facsimilefunction, and a data transmission function. The image forming apparatus14 includes a body functional unit 26 that serves a function that isrelated to the “image formation service” and an edge-server functionalunit 28 that serves a function that is related to the “data collectionservice”.

Note that the edge server is not limited to having a deviceconfiguration in which the edge-server functional unit 28 is added tothe image forming apparatus 14. For example, the edge-server functionalunit 28 may be included in one of various devices each of which isdifferent from the image forming apparatus 14 and each of which includesanother body functional unit or may be formed of a dedicated device thathas only an edge server function.

Each of the IoT devices 18 is a device that has a generation function ofgenerating data items as various functions of the device are exhibitedand a communication function of transmitting generated data items to theoutside by wired or wireless communication. Each of the IoT devices 18may be a stationary device (e.g., a computer device, a communicationdevice, an office device, an illumination device, an air conditioner, ora measuring device) that is located in the installation area Ar or maybe a transportable device (e.g., a laptop computer, a tablet terminal, asmartphone, a wearable device) that may be brought into the installationarea Ar. Note that the image forming apparatus 14, which includes thebody functional unit 26, may be considered as one of the IoT devices 18.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a network configuration in theinstallation area Ar illustrated in FIG. 1. A local area network(hereinafter referred to as LAN 30) is constructed in the installationarea Ar. The image forming apparatus 14, the IoT devices 18, a proxyserver 32, a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server 34, andan installation target device 36 (corresponding to a “second device”)are connected to the LAN 30.

The proxy server 32 is a server that perform communication with externaldevices including the central server 11 and the installation server 12on behalf of the various devices connected to the LAN 30. The DHCPserver 34 is a server that provides the devices in the LAN 30 withnetwork setting information and manages the network setting information.Note that the installation target device 36 is different from the imageforming apparatus 14 in that the installation target device 36 does notinclude the edge-server functional unit 28.

<Electrical Block Diagram of Image Forming Apparatus 14>

FIG. 3 is an electrical block diagram of the image forming apparatus 14illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Note that the installation targetdevice 36 (illustrated in FIG. 2) has a block configuration the same orsubstantially the same as that illustrated in FIG. 3. The image formingapparatus 14 includes a controller 40, a storage device 42(corresponding to a memory unit), an image forming section 44, a userinterface unit (hereinafter referred to as UI unit 46), a networkcommunication unit 48, and a wireless communication unit 50.

The image forming section 44 includes a reading unit 52 that reads asheet and generates image data, a printing unit 53 that outputs aprinted material based on image data, and a FAX unit 54 that performstransmission and reception of a facsimile. For example, the UI unit 46includes a touch-panel display and a hardware button and receives aninput operation from a user.

The network communication unit 48 is a communication module that is usedfor performing network communication with external devices including thecentral server 11 and the installation server 12. The wirelesscommunication unit 50 is a communication module that is used forperforming wireless communication with external devices including theIoT devices 18. The term “wireless communication” includes not onlynarrowly-defined wireless communication using radio waves but also aspace optical communication using spatial light (specifically, infraredcommunication or visible light communication).

The controller 40 includes a processor 40 p and memory 40 m and is adevice that integrally controls each unit of the image forming apparatus14. The processor 40 p is a processing unit including a centralprocessing unit (CPU)) and a microprocessing unit (MPU). The memory 40 mis a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

For example, the storage device 42 includes a hard disk drive (HDD) or asolid state drive (SSD) and stores various data items that are handledby the image forming apparatus 14. Regarding the image forming apparatus14, which includes the edge-server functional unit 28 (illustrated inFIG. 1), the storage device 42 stores a data group 56 and devicemanagement information 58, each of which will be described later.

<Electrical Block Diagram of Installation Server 12>

FIG. 4 is an electrical block diagram of the installation server 12illustrated in FIG. 1. The installation server 12 includes a servercommunication unit 100 (corresponding to a “transmission unit”), aserver control section 102, and a server memory unit 104.

The server communication unit 100 is a communication interface that isused for transmitting and receiving an electric signal to and from anexternal device. The server communication unit 100 enables theinstallation server 12 to provide the image forming apparatus 14 or theinstallation target device 36 with installation data 116 via the network22.

The server control section 102 is formed of a processing unit includinga CPU and an MPU. The server control section 102 reads and runs remoteinstallation programs stored in the server memory unit 104 so as tofunction as an installation-information acquisition unit 106, a datageneration unit 108 (corresponding to a “generation unit”), and atransmission control unit 110.

The server memory unit 104 is formed of a non-transitory computerreadable storage medium. In the case illustrated in FIG. 4, a databaseregarding software components (hereinafter referred to as softwarecomponent DB 112) is constructed in the server memory unit 104. Inaddition, a multifunction-machine management information 114 that isused for managing a multifunction machine and the installation data 116that is customized in accordance with the installation target device 36are stored in the server memory unit 104.

[Operation of Data Collection System 10]

The data collection system 10 according to the present exemplaryembodiment is configured in the manner described above. The operation ofthe data collection system 10 (more specifically, a collection enablingoperation) will now be described with reference to the flowchartsillustrated in FIG. 5 and FIG. 11. Here, the term “collection enablingoperation” refers to a series of operations to be performed so as toenable the installation target device 36 to collect data items from thedevice group 16 through remote installation.

In step S1 in FIG. 5, the server control section 102 of the installationserver 12 (more specifically, the installation-information acquisitionunit 106) acquires information required for remote installation(hereinafter referred to as “installation information”). Theinstallation information includes, for example, information thatindicates the contents of the data collection service (hereinafterreferred to as “service information”) and information that is requiredfor transmission of the installation data 116 (hereinafter referred toas “transmission information”).

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a setting screen 120 ofremote installation. For example, the setting screen 120 is displayed ona display unit of an operator terminal (not illustrated). In the settingscreen 120, a setting field 122 that is related to the serviceinformation, a setting field 124 that is related to the transmissioninformation, and a button group 126 that includes [set] and [cancel] arearranged from an upper side to a lower side of the setting screen 120.

The setting field 122 includes a user control with which it may be setwhether to permit collection and use of data. An operator may selectwhether to install an analysis program (hereinafter referred to as“analysis logic L”) for performing analysis processing according to theusage purpose of data via the setting field 122. Examples of the usagepurpose of data are as follows: [1] to determine the usage states of amobile terminal and a multifunction machine and to propose an intercloudsolution appropriate to the environment in which the mobile terminal andthe multifunction machine are used by a customer, [2] to determine theusage state of a mobile terminal and to propose the best rate planappropriate to the environment in which the mobile terminal is used by acustomer, and [3] to determine the usage state of lighting and topropose a control method for saving the power that would be used by amultifunction machine, the method being appropriate to the environmentin which the lighting is used by a customer.

The setting field 124 includes a user control that enables text input ofidentification information of a multifunction machine (hereinafterreferred to as “multifunction machine ID”). An operator may input themultifunction machine ID (hereinafter referred to as “installationtarget ID”) of the installation target device 36, which is aninstallation target, and the multifunction machine ID (hereinafterreferred to as “relay target ID”) of the image forming apparatus 14,which is a relay target, via the setting field 124.

An operator performs all the setting operations on the setting screen120 while referring to installation information acquired beforehand froma system administrator of the installation area Ar. After that, theoperator taps the “set” button in the button group 126. Then, theinstallation-information acquisition unit 106 acquires permission flags,each of which corresponds to one of logic IDs, as the “installationinformation” and acquires two multifunction machine IDs as the“transmission information”.

In step S2, the server control section 102 (more specifically, the datageneration unit 108) generates the installation data 116 for theinstallation target device 36 by using the installation informationacquired in step S1. Before the installation data 116 is generated, thedata generation unit 108 refers to the software component DB 112 andacquires variable data of the installation target device 36corresponding to the service information, examples of the variable dataincluding, for example, one or more analysis logics L, logic information82, protocol information 84, and protocol usage data 86 (see FIG. 7).

Then, the data generation unit 108 generates the installation data 116,which is customized, by combining fixed data including an edge-serverfunction program P and the above-mentioned variable data. Subsequently,the installation data 116 is temporarily stored together with theabove-mentioned transmission information in the server memory unit 104.

Note that the installation data 116 generated by the installation server12 may be directly transmitted as is to the installation target device36 by the installation server 12. However, there is a possibility thatdirect exchange of the installation data 116 may not be performedbecause of, for example, the setting state of a firewall constructed inthe proxy server 32 (illustrated in FIG. 2) or incompatibility withpush-based communication (i.e., compatibility only with pull-basedcommunication). Accordingly, the present exemplary embodiment paysattention to usage of the existing image forming apparatus 14, which isin the same installation area Ar as the installation target device 36is.

In step S3, the server control section 102 checks if polling has beenreceived from the image forming apparatus 14. When the polling has notyet been received (NO in step S3), the process remains in step S3. Incontrast, when the polling has been received (YES in step S3), theprocess continues to step S4.

In step S4, the installation server 12 transmits, in response to thepolling received in step S3, the installation data 116 generated in stepS2 toward the image forming apparatus 14. Before this transmission, theserver control section 102 (more specifically, the transmission controlunit 110) extracts the multifunction machine ID of the image formingapparatus 14 included in a communication signal of the polling. Afterthat, the transmission control unit 110 identifies the image formingapparatus 14 by reading and referring to the multifunction-machinemanagement information 114. Then, the transmission control unit 110performs transmission control for reading and transmitting theinstallation data 116 that corresponds to the multifunction machine IDof the image forming apparatus 14. As a result, the installation data116 is transmitted toward the image forming apparatus 14 in theinstallation area Ar via the server communication unit 100.

In step S5, the image forming apparatus 14 receives the installationdata 116 transmitted in step S4 and then transfers the installation data116 to the installation target device 36. More specifically, the imageforming apparatus 14 acquires the installation target ID that istransmitted with the installation data 116 and transmits theinstallation data 116 to the installation target device 36 by using anIP address that corresponds to the installation target ID.

In step S6, the installation target device 36 receives and acquires, viathe network communication unit 48 thereof, the installation data 116transferred from the image forming apparatus 14 in step S5. Then, theinstallation data 116 is temporarily stored in the storage device 42.

In step S7, a controller 40 a of the installation target device 36executes, by using the installation data 116 received in step S6, theinstallation of the edge-server function program P for collecting dataitems generated by the device group 16.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the controller 40 a at a firstpoint-in-time. The term “first point-in-time” corresponds to a point intime immediately before the edge-server function program P is installed.The controller 40 a functions as an installation processing unit 60 (aninstallation unit) that executes the installation of the edge-serverfunction program P by using the installation data 116. The installationdata 116 includes the edge-server function program P including the oneor more analysis logics L the logic information 82, the protocolinformation 84, and the protocol usage data 86.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of a controller 40 b at a secondpoint-in-time. The term “second point-in-time” corresponds to a point intime immediately after the edge-server function program P has beeninstalled. The controller 40 b functions as a device management section70 (corresponding to a “device management unit”) that performsregistration processing that is related to the IoT devices 18, from eachof which data is to be collected. More specifically, the devicemanagement section 70 includes an information comparison unit 72, a testexecution unit 74, and a list updating unit 76.

First information 80 is information included in the installation data116 and indicates the IoT devices 18 that may generate data that ispermitted to be used. In the case illustrated in FIG. 8, although thefirst information 80 is formed of a combination of the logic information82 and the protocol information 84, the first information 80 may have adifferent data structure.

FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structureincluded in the logic information 82. The logic information 82 includestable data that represents the correspondence relationships among “logicID” that indicates identification information of the analysis logic L,“analysis purpose” that indicates the purpose of analysis, “type ofdevice” that indicates the types of the IoT devices 18, and “permissionflag” that indicates a permitted or prohibited state regarding datacollection. Here, although the “logic ID” and the “analysis purpose” areassociated with each other in a one-to-one relationship, theircorrespondence relationship is not limited to this and may be aone-to-many relationship, a many-to-one relationship, or a many-to-manyrelationship.

The “type of device” is classified in accordance with a predeterminedclassification regarding, for example, functions, applications, orgeneral names. For example, the IoT devices 18 may be classified inaccordance with a “large classification” including computer equipment,office equipment, and lighting equipment, or a “medium classification”including multifunction machine, smartphone, and wearable terminal.

FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structureincluded in the protocol information 84. The protocol information 84includes table data that represents the correspondence relationshipsamong type of device, which has been mentioned above, deviceinformation, and collection protocol. Here, the “device information” isinformation with which each of the IoT devices 18 may be identified orclassified and includes, for example, a product model number, a MACaddress, and a DHCP option 60 (i.e., a vendor class ID). The “collectionprotocol” is a communication protocol that is used when data items arecollected and includes, for example, MQTT, AMQP, CoAP, HTTP, SNMP,Weave, and Websocket.

Returning to FIG. 8, second information 90 is information that may beacquired separately from the installation data 116 and indicates the IoTdevices 18 whose network information items are registered and managed inthe LAN 30 where the installation target device 36 is available for use.In the case illustrated in FIG. 8, although the second information 90 isformed of lease information 92 that is held by the DHCP server 34, thesecond information 90 may have a different data structure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of thelease information 92. The lease information 92 includes table data thatrepresents the correspondence relationships among network information,device information, and lease expiration date. In the case in FIG. 10,an IP address and a hostname are illustrated as the network information,and a MAC address and a vendor class ID are illustrated as the deviceinformation. Note that “lease expiration date” indicates the expirationdate for each of the IoT devices 18 to use the network informationallocated thereto.

The lease information 92 is acquired either before, during orimmediately after the installation of the edge-server function programP. For example, a system administrator may perform a setting operationfor storing the lease information 92 into the storage device 42 beforethe data collection system 10 starts the collection enabling operation.Alternatively, the installation target device 36 may request provisionof the lease information 92 upon receiving the installation data 116 andmay acquire the lease information 92 from the DHCP server 34.

In step S8 in FIG. 11, the device management section 70 (morespecifically, the information comparison unit 72) reads and acquires thefirst information 80 and the second information 90 from the storagedevice 42 during or after execution of the installation in step S7.

In step S9, the information comparison unit 72 compares the firstinformation 80 and the second information 90 acquired in step S8 andselects one or more of the IoT devices 18 in accordance with thecomparison result. More specifically, the information comparison unit 72excludes all the logic IDs whose “permission flag” is OFF in the logicinformation 82 and determines whether there is the IoT device 18 inwhich [1] the “type of device” in the logic information 82 and the “typeof device” in the protocol information 84 match each other or aresimilar to each other and in which [2] the “device information” in theprotocol information 84 and the “device information” in the leaseinformation 92 match each other or are similar to each other.

In other words, the information comparison unit 72 determines thepresence or absence of the IoT device 18 that simultaneously satisfiestwo conditions, which are [1] to be capable of generating data that ispermitted to be used and [2] to have the network information that isregistered and managed in the installation area Ar of the installationtarget device 36. One or more of the IoT devices 18 selected in step S9will hereinafter be referred to as “registration candidate devices 20”.

Then, upon completion of the installation of the edge-server functionprogram P, the process continues to step S10. The timing at which theprocess continues to step S10 may be immediately after the installationhas been completed or may be after a standby time has elapsed from thepoint in time at which the installation is completed. The standby timemay be set by, for example, a setting operation performed on the settingscreen 120 (illustrated in FIG. 6) or may be automatically set inaccordance with the operating state of the installation target device36.

In step S10, the test execution unit 74 specifies one of the one or moreregistration candidate devices 20 selected in step S9, the one havingnot yet been undergone the registration processing.

In step S11, the test execution unit 74 performs registration processingfor attempting to register the registration candidate device 20specified in step S10 as a data collection target. More specifically,the test execution unit 74 reads the protocol usage data 86 for usingthe collection protocol and performs a data collection test on theregistration candidate device 20 in accordance with the collectionprotocol suitable for the registration candidate device 20. The datacollection test may be a connectivity test for simply checking ifcommunication is performable or may be a field test for checking if datacollection is performable.

In step S12, the test execution unit 74 determines whether results ofcollection tests performed on all the registration candidate devices 20have been obtained. When all the results have not yet been obtained (NOin step S12), the process returns to step S10, and step S10 to step S12are sequentially repeated. In contrast, when all the results have beenobtained (YES in step S12), the process continues to step S13.

In step S13, the list updating unit 76 newly generates a registereddevice list 88 on the basis of the results of the collection testsperformed in step S11. Here, the list updating unit 76 performs, inaccordance with the format of the registered device list 88, processingfor writing various information items that are related to theregistration candidate devices 20 that have passed the data collectiontest.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structureincluded in the registered device list 88. The registered device list 88includes table data that represents the correspondence relationshipsamong device information, network information, and collection protocol.

The collection enabling operation performed by the data collectionsystem 10 is completed in the manner described above. As a result, theinstallation target device 36 acquires an edge server function throughremote installation and starts a desired data collection service withoutrequiring an operator to perform an operation of registering the IoTdevices 18.

FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of a controller 40 c at a thirdpoint-in-time. The term “third point-in-time”corresponds to a point intime after automatic registration of the IoT devices 18 has beenperformed. The controller 40 c functions as a data collection unit 62,an output processing unit 64, an analysis processing unit 66, and thedevice management section 70.

The data collection unit 62 collects data (hereinafter also referred toas “primary data D1”) generated by the plurality of IoT devices 18listed in the registered device list 88, that is, the device group 16.The data collection unit 62 temporarily stores the primary data D1,which is regularly or irregularly collected thereby, into the storagedevice 42 (illustrated in FIG. 3) while the primary data D1 isassociated with the device information of the IoT devices 18.

The output processing unit 64 performs desired output processing (e.g.,data encryption or generation of data to be transmitted) on at leastpart of data in the data group 56 and outputs the obtained data to betransmitted toward the central server 11. The analysis processing unit66 performs processing for analyzing the primary data D1 in accordancewith the one or more analysis logics L and outputs secondary data D2that includes results of the analysis. The device management section 70manually or automatically performs registration processing that isrelated to the IoT devices 18, from each of which data is to becollected.

SUMMARY

As described above, the installation server 12 (first device) of thedata collection system 10 includes the data generation unit 108(generation unit) that generates the installation data 116 including theedge-server function program P for collecting data items generated bythe device group 16, which includes the plurality of IoT devices 18(devices), and the server communication unit 100 (transmission unit)that transmits the generated installation data 116 to the outside.

The installation target device 36 (second device, edge-functionalizeddevice) of the data collection system 10 includes the installationprocessing unit 60 (installation unit) that installs the edge-serverfunction program P by using the installation data 116 transmitted fromthe installation server 12. The installation target device 36 selectsone or more of the registration candidate devices 20 by comparing thefirst information 80, which is further included in the installation data116, and the second information 90, which may be acquired separatelyfrom the installation data 116, and attempts to register the one or moreregistration candidate devices 20 as data collection targets when theinstallation of the edge-server function program P is completed by theinstallation processing unit 60.

In addition, in the data collection method and the data collectionprogram, the installation server 12 performs a generation step (step S2in FIG. 5) of generating the installation data 116 including theedge-server function program P and a transmission step (step S4) oftransmitting the generated installation data 116 to the outside. Then,the installation target device 36 performs an installation step (stepS7) of installing the edge-server function program P, a selection step(step S9 in FIG. 11) of selecting one or more of the registrationcandidate devices 20 by comparing the first information 80 and thesecond information 90, and a device management step (step S11) ofattempting to register the registration candidate devices 20 as datacollection targets upon completion of the installation of theedge-server function program P.

As described above, the installation target device 36 executesinstallation by using the installation data 116, which includes theedge-server function program P and the first information 80, and thisenables acquisition of the edge server function and automaticregistration of the IoT devices 18 through comparison with the secondinformation 90, which may be acquired separately from the installationdata 116. As a result, when the edge server function is installed, aseries of installation operations to be performed so as to start theoperation of the edge server may be more smoothly performed than in thecase where a remote installation operation and an operation ofregistering the IoT devices 18 are separately performed.

The data collection system 10 further includes the image formingapparatus 14 (third device) that is configured to be capable ofcommunicating with both the installation server 12 and the installationtarget device 36, and the image forming apparatus 14 may be configuredto transfer the installation data 116 received from the installationserver 12 to the installation target device 36. As a result, even if theinstallation server 12 and the installation target device 36 are notable to communicate with each other, the installation target device 36may receive and acquire the installation data 116 through the imageforming apparatus 14.

The installation server 12 is a server that performs pull-basedcommunication with the image forming apparatus 14 and may transmit theinstallation data 116 to the installation target device 36 when theinstallation server 12 receives polling from the image forming apparatus14. As a result, the processing load of the installation server 12 maybe reduced more than that in the case of performing push-basedcommunication in which information regarding installation isperiodically distributed.

The first information 80 may include the device information regardingthe IoT devices 18 each of which generates data that is permitted to beused, and the second information 90 may include the device informationregarding the IoT devices 18 each of which is capable of communicatingwith the installation target device 36. As a result, through thecomparison of the first information 80 and the second information 90,only the IoT device 18 from which data that is permitted to be used maybe collected by communication is appropriately selected as theregistration candidate device 20.

The edge-server function program P includes the one or more analysislogics L each of which uses collected data as an input and each of whichuses an analysis result according to the usage purpose of the data as anoutput, and the first information 80 may include information items(e.g., the logic information 82 and the protocol information 84) thatindicate the correspondence relationships between the types of theanalysis logics L and the device information regarding the IoT devices18 that generate input data of the analysis logics L. As a result, aftercompletion of the installation, data collection and data analysis may beperformed in a closed environment within a single device, and use ofdata for purposes other than the original intent is suppressed comparedwith the case of making a request of another device to perform the dataanalysis.

The second information 90 is the lease information 92 that indicates thecorrespondence relationship between device information and networkinformation, and the installation target device 36 may acquire the leaseinformation 92 from the DHCP server 34 that manages the networkinformation in the LAN 30 where the installation target device 36 isavailable for use. As a result, an operator does not need to perform, onthe installation target device 36, an operation of setting the deviceinformation and the network information of each of the IoT devices 18.

In addition, the installation target device 36 may perform a datacollection test on the registration candidate devices 20 and mayregister only the registration candidate devices 20 that have passed thecollection test. This reduces the probability that data will not becollected from the registered IoT devices 18 compared with the casewhere the registration candidate devices 20 are registered withoutperforming the collection test.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure has been provided for the purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit thedisclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously, many modificationsand variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the disclosure and its practical applications, therebyenabling others skilled in the art to understand the disclosure forvarious embodiments and with the various modifications as are suited tothe particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of thedisclosure be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A data collection system comprising: a firstdevice that includes a generation unit configured to generateinstallation data including an edge-server function program forcollecting data items generated by a device group including a pluralityof devices and a transmission unit configured to transmit theinstallation data generated by the generation unit to outside; and asecond device that includes an installation unit configured to installthe edge-server function program by using the installation datatransmitted from the first device, wherein the second device selects oneor more registration candidate devices by comparing first informationthat is further included in the installation data and second informationthat is acquirable separately from the installation data and attempts toregister the one or more registration candidate devices as datacollection targets when installation of the edge-server function programis completed by the installation unit.
 2. The data collection systemaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a third device that is capableof communicating with both the first device and the second device,wherein the third device is configured to transfer the installation datareceived from the first device to the second device.
 3. The datacollection system according to claim 2, wherein the first device is aserver that performs pull-based communication with the third device, andthe first device transmits the installation data to the third devicewhen the first device receives polling from the third device.
 4. Thedata collection system according to claim 1, wherein the firstinformation includes device information regarding a device thatgenerates data that is permitted to be used, and wherein the secondinformation includes device information regarding a device that iscapable of communicating with the second device.
 5. The data collectionsystem according to claim 4, wherein the edge-server function programincludes one or more analysis logics each of which uses collected dataas an input and each of which uses an analysis result according to ausage purpose of the data as an output, and wherein the firstinformation is information that indicates a correspondence relationshipbetween types of the one or more analysis logics and the deviceinformation regarding a device that generates input data of the one ormore analysis logics.
 6. The data collection system according to claim4, wherein the second information is lease information that indicates acorrespondence relationship between the device information and networkinformation, and wherein the second device acquires the leaseinformation from a DHCP server that manages network information in alocal area network where the second device is available for use.
 7. Thedata collection system according to claim 4, wherein the second deviceperforms a data collection test on the registration candidate devicesand registers only the registration candidate devices that have passedthe collection test.
 8. The data collection system according to claim 5,wherein the second device performs a data collection test on theregistration candidate devices and registers only the registrationcandidate devices that have passed the collection test.
 9. The datacollection system according to claim 6, wherein the second deviceperforms a data collection test on the registration candidate devicesand registers only the registration candidate devices that have passedthe collection test.
 10. A data collection method comprising: causing afirst device to perform generating installation data that includes anedge-server function program for collecting data items generated by adevice group including a plurality of devices and transmitting thegenerated installation data to outside; and causing a second device toperform installing the edge-server function program by using theinstallation data transmitted from the first device and selecting one ormore registration candidate devices by comparing first information thatis further included in the installation data and second information thatis acquirable separately from the installation data and attempting toregister the one or more registration candidate devices as datacollection targets upon completion of the installation of theedge-server function program.
 11. A non-transitory computer readablemedium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process forcollecting data, the process comprising: generating installation datathat includes an edge-server function program for collecting data itemsgenerated by a device group including a plurality of devices;transmitting the generated installation data to outside; installing theedge-server function program by using the installation data transmittedfrom the first device; and selecting one or more registration candidatedevices by comparing first information that is further included in theinstallation data and second information that is acquirable separatelyfrom the installation data and attempting to register the one or moreregistration candidate devices as data collection targets uponcompletion of the installation of the edge-server function program. 12.An edge-functionalized device comprising: an installation unit thatinstalls an edge-server function program for collecting data itemsgenerated by a device group including a plurality of devices by usinginstallation data that includes the edge-server function program,wherein the edge-functionalized device selects one or more registrationcandidate devices by comparing first information that is furtherincluded in the installation data and second information that isacquirable separately from the installation data and attempts toregister the one or more registration candidate devices as datacollection targets when installation of the edge-server function programis completed by the installation unit.